Topic: Mecca
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Who are the Taliban and what do they want? 5 key points
While Pakistani and Afghan insurgents often get labeled as the 'Taliban,' in reality there are several groups that often act independently and have distinct command structures, ideologies, and strategies.
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Shiite and Sunni: What are the differences?
While the two sects share the same basic beliefs, differences in hierarchy and doctrine make Catholics and Protestants an apt comparison.
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What is Eid al-Fitr?
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In Pictures: Muslims in America
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Jerusalem Day: Why the Holy City is at the crux of the peace process
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What's in the Internet videos posted by Tamerlan Tsarnaev?
The videos do not show ties to any specific group, but do hint at a deeper yearning in the alleged Boston Marathon bomber for a heroic jihadi persona.
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Olive Press Israel seeks another type of coexistence – between tourists and the earth
Although an economic boon, tourism can be a destructive force for the environment. Israel, filled with religious tourism destinations, is exploring ways to make pilgrimages sustainable.
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First West Bank marathon highlights barriers to Palestinian movement
Marathoners observed a moment of silence for the victims in the Boston attacks before running a landscape scarred by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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Backchannels Heavy metal, Islamist politics, and democracy in Indonesia
Heavy metal band Jamrud and a major Indonesian Islamist party throw a gig together. That's one of the smallest changes in Indonesian politics.
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Saudi Arabia executes 7 in first-ever firing squad
Saudi Arabia executes 7 men found guilty of theft, looting, and armed robbery. The 7 were executed in the first-ever firing squad execution in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia has executed 23 people so far this year.
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Opinion: Key signs that Al Qaeda's Islamic extremism is moving into southern Africa
A surge of sectarian strife and Al Qaeda-linked terrorism in Tanzania signals that Africa's jihadist wave is expanding south. The failure of the international community to assist Tanzania in tackling the roots of Islamic extremism will likely allow it to grow.
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How will GOP handle election letdown? Michigan union fight offers clues.
The moderate and conservative wings of the Michigan GOP are split over whether to move forward on an anti-union bill. Some say it's the sort of thing that cost the GOP votes Tuesday.
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Support for jihadists in Syria swells as US backing of rebels falls short
US reluctance to provide weapons and cash to Syrian rebels is increasing the appeal of joining with well-funded and well-armed jihadists, many of them from abroad.
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Yemenis suspect Iran's hand in rise of Shiite rebels
The growing influence of Yemen's Houthis, a group of Shiite rebels, has disrupted the long amicable Sunni-Shiite relationship here, with Sunnis suspecting Iranian interference.
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Why Saudi Arabia is taking a shine to solar
The Saudis are raising $100 billion for solar-power development, which could ease its rapidly growing demand for electric power. Though natural gas would be cheaper, the Saudis may prefer solar.
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Global News Blog The Eid holiday: What does it celebrate?
While the Eid festival following Ramadan is better known, Eid al-Adha is more significant to the Muslim calendar.
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The Monitor's View: What Pakistan can do after Taliban shooting of schoolgirl Malala
The Taliban shooting of Malala Yousafzai, a famous 14-year-old girl activist, should spark Pakistanis to not only end the Taliban but to emulate Muslim societies that elevate the status of women in Islam.
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Rotten egg smell traced to California's Salton Sea
Rotten egg smell: Scientists say strong winds from a storm churned the Salton Sea, stirring up foul-smelling gasses from the lake bottom. The Salton Sea is 150 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
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Samsara: movie review
Director Ron Fricke's movies aren't much more than travelogues, but the range of locations is impressive.
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Saving Money Top 10 pet-friendly hotels
More and more vacationers are bringing along pets during their getaways. These 10 pet-friendly hotels will make Fido feel right at home.
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Airstrikes kills over 40 in northern Syria, watchdog group says
According to Human Rights Watch, the attacks destroyed a whole residential block in the town of Azaz. Free Syrian Army facilities might have been the target of the Syrian air force.
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UN: War crimes on both sides in Syria
The UN Human Rights Council said Wednesday war crimes have been committed by both the Assad regime, and the rebels in Syria. Meanwhile, government war planes bombed a rebel-held town, killing more than 20.
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Terrorism & Security Free Syrian Army rejects claim that it bombed UN observers' Damascus hotel
The Free Syrian Army claimed responsibility for a bombing in Damascus today, but insists the target was a gathering of top military officials, not UN observers, as state media reported.
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Chapter & Verse Heinrich Barth: the greatest explorer you've never heard of
Writer Steve Kemper tackles Barth in the first biography in English about the explorer who ventured into Islamic Africa.
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Made in China: Why knockoffs disappeared from Beijing markets
China finally appeared to match its talk on the sanctity of intellectual property rights with some enforcement – but only for two weeks.
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In Tunisia, leaders struggle to kick the problems that toppled Ben Ali
Rioting broke out in Tunisia earlier this month after rumors that a local art exhibit insulted Islam. But most of the protesters were not ultra-religious – just young, poor, and angry.
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Backchannels Egypt has a new president: Let the fear mongering begin!
Fox News put up video that identified a speech by hard-core preacher Safwat al-Hegazy as being delivered by Egypt's new President Mohamed Morsi within hours of Morsi's victory.
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Crackdown on punks in Indonesia
Some who see punks as a welcome challenge to the conservative form of Islamic law in Aceh worry that the crackdown is working too well.
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Progress Watch
In Saudi Arabia, a quiet tide of reformDeclining the revolutionary model that Egypt established in overthrowing Mubarak, Saudi reformers are working for a shift in mind-sets as well as policies – and making headway.
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Keep Calm Good Reads: On liberal Christians, political Islam, and the news profession
Here are a few longer pieces worth reading on the disappearance of liberal Christians, the uncertain future political Islamists, and why journalism is still the Best. Job. Ever.
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